


Persuasion

by Auggusst



Series: The Soldier And The Scientist [27]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anxiety, Avengers Compound, Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Compromise, Conversations, Fluff, Hugs, M/M, Making peace, Moving, New Beginnings, Nightmares, Peace Offerings, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), aftermath of Sokovia, tony and wanda don't see eye to eye, world building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:14:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23417281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auggusst/pseuds/Auggusst
Summary: Immediately after dealing with Ultron, Tony is less than eager about the idea of Wanda joining the team and living with them. It's difficult to bring himself to trust her, to feel comfortable around her after everything. It doesn't help that she dislikes him. Steve does what he does best though, and settles Tony's fears, and convinces him it's for the best. Tony can admit when he's wrong (sometimes.)
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Wanda Maximoff & Steve Rogers
Series: The Soldier And The Scientist [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/468745
Comments: 19
Kudos: 72





	Persuasion

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little random? I have been meaning to feature more of the other Avengers though, so here we are.  
> I'mma be real with y'all, I can't stand Wanda lmao, and I don't think Tony would be too fond of her either, at least at the start. AoU was lowkey her fault, but Tony took all the bad rap, especially since Bruce was MIA. That always makes me a little salty. I can respect her though, and my bff is a huge Wanda stan. I just don't want anything to do with her lol. 
> 
> I actually meant this to be a lot more heated, I guess, but Steve won the argument with softness instead. Damn him lol

Tony sighed. “You’ve got to be joking.”

“Come on now, that’s not fair.”

“No. _No_. You’ve seriously got to be joking.”

Steve sighed in return, frowned a little at his partner. “Look, she doesn’t have anywhere else to go. Sokovia is dust, and she’s all alone. She’s our responsibility.”

Tony bristled at that. “Do you remember the shit she did not twenty four hours ago? Who she was working with?”

“That doesn’t matter. She joined the right side in the end, helped protect people,” Steve replied. He put his hands on his belt, leaned in a little closer.

He didn’t want anyone to hear their conversation really, which was kind of tough to manage, given their location. The sound of emergency vehicles and a thousand announcements and stirring people, as well as the sounds of grief filled the air. Even here, a good 40 miles away from the impact zone, the air was a little dusty from the debris of Sokovia.

It’d only been a few hours, around five or six since the city had been destroyed and Ultron was defeated. The team couldn’t, in good conscience, leave yet. There was already a brief media interview, and Tony agreed to a press conference later that week, but for now, there was a lot to do, and the Avengers were sort of running on empty. Tony was in the middle of making a few calls and setting up relief transport when Steve had pulled him aside to have this —unfortunate, in Tony’s opinion— conversation.

Someone walked by Tony, pushed him closer into Steve. He didn’t spare the stranger a glance, kept his brown eyes focused on the blond. “Right, _after_ fucking with our minds and setting the Hulk loose on an innocent city,” he pointed out.

Steve ran a hand through his hair. A sprinkle of rubble fell from blond waves. He kind of looked like a mess, they all did, but that wasn’t important right now. What _was_ important, was getting Tony to agree with him. “You of all people should know we don’t judge someone’s past,” Steve replied.

The brunet frowned, rubbed his temple. He was getting a nasty headache, though this time it could be attributed to blunt force trauma instead of natural causes. His body ached, and his heart was still racing a little, after everything was said and done. The mental load was only increasing every moment. He knew it was his own fault, all of it, but that didn’t make it any easier. He didn’t think he’d sleep for a while, even though he wished he could for a whole month.

Steve wasn’t making it any easier right now. Of course he wanted the Maximoff girl to be part of the team, to live with them. She _was_ homeless now, but so were plenty of others. Quite honestly Tony never wanted to see her again, but she had powers, so chances were they’d end up in the same social circles regardless.

Tony was just…hesitant to have her in his home. Now, after everything, he realized it was her influence which had given him nightmares, made him paranoid enough to screw with the Scepter. She’d messed him up intentionally, out of some sense of revenge, and he wasn’t sure he could forget that. Tony was understandably a little put off by the concept of stumbling into the kitchen at night and seeing her there. When he thought of her, he got a little irritated, a little nervous. Maybe he could look beyond all of that, but with the way things were going, and the figurative storm clouds Tony saw on the horizon, he didn’t think it would be easy.

Steve’s words just made Tony’s frown deepen. “That’s not fair,” he replied. “This is different.”

The soldier placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “It’s not different. We owe it to her,” he insisted.

Tony was reluctant to agree. He glared a hole into Steve’s boots. He knew Steve was right. He knew that this decision was one of a long list of amends to be made. He was just loathe to make it.

When the brunet didn’t say anything more, Steve’s hand moved up, played with the curls on the nape of Tony’s neck. “Come on,” he whispered, tone pleading. He needed Tony to agree.

It didn’t make Tony feel any better though. “What do you want me to say, Steve? I don’t really want to, but you’re not gonna take no for an answer.”

“Sweetheart I don’t want to force you into anything, but this is the right thing to do. Can’t you see that?” Steve asked. His brows were knit, and blue eyes intense.

The scientist exhaled sharply in irritation. He rubbed his arm, shoulders tightening. “Of course I can see that. I just…I don’t feel comfortable with it.”

“It’ll be fine, I promise.”

Tony looked up at his boyfriend doubtfully. “You know, every time you say something will be fine, it never is.”

Steve snorted at that, framed Tony’s face with his hand. He lovingly brushed a thumb over his cheek. “Pot, kettle,” he said. “Look, we can figure it out together. Every challenge that’s been thrown at us, we’ve overcome it. I don’t think Wanda is another challenge. She’s just a kid, who just lost everything, and partly because of us. It’s our job to make it better.”

“Steve…”

“We’ll be okay,” the blond insisted. “It’ll be good, you’ll see.”

The brunet laid a hand over Steve’s and squeezed. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Maybe Steve was right. Maybe he was just overreacting.

For maybe the thousandth time, he envied Steve’s goodness, and his ability to do what was right, no matter the cost. Next to Steve, Tony felt selfish. He’d always felt selfish. He felt shame bubble up, alongside the deep-rooted guilt that had formed at the start of all of this. It was kind of overwhelming, and he tried to shove it down, before even worse emotions could join the party, namely anxiety. He swallowed hard. He didn’t want to fight with Steve though, not after everything that had happened. Maybe it was easier just to submit. Just this once.

“You’re right,” Tony offered with a slow exhale. “You’re right. I just—fine. I trust you,” he sighed.

Steve’s smile almost made accepting worth it. It was bright, albeit tired, and held plenty of admiration. “I love you,” Steve said softly, and pressed a kiss to Tony’s forehead.

“Love you too,” the brunet replied, and linked his arms behind Steve’s waist. He held on, almost desperately. Steve returned that grasp, firm and grounding. They hugged for a long time. The reality of it all hadn’t really sunk in until now. They’d survived another disaster, saved the world again, though much less successfully than the first time. The world was about to change, and both of them knew it. Tony closed his eyes, tried to savor the moment. He did feel a little better now, after agreeing. Maybe having Wanda with them _would_ be a good thing, would help ease his conscience. Tony tried not to think on it too hard. Things were tense, and insane, and the world around them was chaotic, but the feel of Steve’s body against his was the same as ever. He savored it.

“Don’t freak out,” Steve warned Wanda, standing outside of her new bedroom. He flexed his fingers on the door handle, a gentle smile on his face. He thanked Tony’s foresight in starting the construction of the Upstate facility long before the Ultron fiasco. It meant they had a place to retreat to now, when it was clear that public opinion was turning south. Over the next few days, they’d be moving into the compound permanently.

The team spent two days in Europe, helping with the aftermath of the ordeal, and then moved here, to the compound. The tower needed repairs, extensive ones, and suddenly NYC felt too crowded, especially with a brand new person on the team, who’s powers weren’t fully under her control yet. There weren’t any legal actions or decisions made yet, so the privacy the new facility offered was an added defensive measure.

Steve didn’t know how Tony found the time to shop for Wanda’s room, between a billion phone calls, new plans, procedures and outlines. He figured they’d be starting from scratch, but when Steve and Tony did the walkthrough of the compound before the others arrived, it was clear that he found the time. Most of the compound was already furnished actually. The paint was still drying in a few spots, and the whole building smelled new, but Steve liked it. It felt like a new start, an opportunity for improvement.

No one was necessarily in high spirits though. Tony had slept 10 hours straight when they got back to New York, but since then, his sleep had been anything but restful. Steve held him tight each night, shushed him through nightmares more intense than they’d encountered before. He was clearly anxious, relied on Steve’s approval more than usual. It was clear it would take a while for things to get back to any kind of normal.

Steve was tired too. He still had a bruise or two, almost completely faded but still holding on, from the battle, and a deep exhaustion had settled in his limbs that would take a long time to shake off. Things were really ramping up now, and Sokovia was talked about on every news channel and every social media platform. The consequences of the mess, the mess _Tony_ had gotten them in to, his hindbrain unhelpfully supplied, were still unclear. He tried to put it out of his mind though, focused on helping Wanda get settled, which led him where he was now, outside of the teen’s new room.

It was a great room. Anything and everything Wanda could’ve wanted was there, but somehow, it managed not to feel crowded. There was plenty of room for her to grow into the space, to really make it her own, but Steve could tell that Tony was trying to make her happy, despite his initial protests. Tony wasn’t exactly comfortable around her, always kept his distance, spoke to her only when necessary, but Steve figured that would go away with time.

Wanda was a little sullen, kept to herself a lot, but that was to be expected, she just lost her brother. Steve hoped the room would cheer her up a little, make things easier for everybody.

She seemed curious, maybe a little scared standing here across Steve. She rubbed her wrists, eyes moving between Steve and the door. “Why would I freak out?” Wanda asked.

“It’s—a lot. At the Tower you were just in a guest room for a night or two. This is totally different,” the blond replied. There was a certain extravagance to the space, which was to be found in any building Tony had a hand in, but Steve loved it.

Wanda considered that for a second, and smiled a little. She glanced at the door again. “Can I see?”

Steve nodded, and swung open the door. He moved out of the way, and watched with anticipation as Wanda stepped in, and took in her surroundings.

To his relief, she seemed to love it. She let out a little laugh, looking around. Her eyes were wide, almost childlike as she regarded her new possessions. It seemed insane, that all of it now belonged to her, when she’d been without anything for so long. Somehow, the room managed to be just her style. It wasn’t overbearing, but seemed inviting, and safe. Wanda brushed a hand over her new, large bed, and found the sheets to be the softest she’d ever felt.

Steve stood in the doorway, arms crossed. “You like it?” he asked, smile on his face.

“It’s…amazing,” Wanda replied. She hesitated a moment, and then sat down on the bed, satisfaction clear in her eyes. She smiled.

“Good,” the soldier said with a nod. He moved in the room a little. “Tony put it together for you,” he started.

Wanda gave him a little look, somewhere between surprise and suspicion. It was pretty clear that she wasn’t all that comfortable with Tony, and the fact that it was reciprocal was less than ideal in Steve’s eyes. She didn’t really try to hide her disdain, which kind of irked Steve, but she’d never done or said anything intentionally hurtful towards Tony since coming home with them, so Steve wasn’t too worried. They had to become comfortable around each other eventually. That was why he’d planned the room reveal like this. He figured showing was better than telling, when it came to Tony, and convincing others of how wonderful he was.

When the young woman didn’t know how to reply, Steve continued. “I know you’re not that fond of him, but he’s a great guy, one of the best I’ve ever met.” He paused. “I’m sorry about what happened to your family. You didn’t deserve that. But quite honestly, I don’t think he had any hand in it.”

Wanda frowned, obviously put off by that. “It was _his company_ , his weapon. Of course he had a hand in it,” she argued.

Steve sighed, sat down next to her on the bed. “How much do you actually know about Tony?”

“Enough,” Wanda shrugged. She averted his gaze.

“Do you know how he became Iron Man?”

Steve took her silence as a ‘no.’

“There was a man, his business partner, Obadiah Stane. He was like a father to Tony. Tony trusted him completely. Stane handled more of the business than Tony ever did. Tony was in a really bad place for a long time. He trusted his board of executives to take care of everything. Well, it turned out Obadiah had been selling to terrorists and stirring up trouble worldwide to increase his profits, all behind Tony’s back. He betrayed Tony, in more ways than I’m comfortable telling. He ordered a hit on Tony to try and take over the company. The mercenaries made a different call, knew how valuable he was…”

“Tony spent three months in captivity. They did some really horrible things to him, things he’s never recovered from. He built his way out, and made it home. Once he saw the truth of everything going on under his nose, all the terrible things his company had been up to, he put a stop to it. He defeated Stane and became Iron Man.”

Wanda didn’t know how to reply to that. She looked down at her hands, feeling just a little guilty about all that had happened. Maybe she had misjudged Tony. She had needed a scapegoat, someone to hate and blame her misfortune on, and his name had been conveniently there.

Steve continued. “He’s been through a lot, just like you. He wakes up every day trying to be better than the day before, trying to help more people to make up for the past. I know you can find it in you to forgive him. He’s so much more than what you think.”

“I…I was wrong to blame him, to hate him,” Wanda admitted, looking up at Steve. “I didn’t have anything else to hold on to. That’s why we, Pietro and I, did what we did. We didn’t see another way,” she explained.

“I understand,” Steve replied. “Loss can make us do terrible things. We all have regrets here. You’re not alone in that.”

“I’m sorry,” Wanda replied. Her eyes turned sad again, like they had been for days. “I’m sorry. And I want to thank you—both of you, for all of this.”

“You’re welcome,” Steve said. He brushed a hand through his hair. His posture turned a little stiffer, a bit more commanding, and he set his gaze on her once more. “You’re part of the team now, but that comes with certain responsibilities, you understand? We take care of each other. _I_ take care of my team. We’ve given you the benefit of the doubt. Not everyone wanted to do that, but I vouched for you, after you helped us. Don’t take advantage of my kindness,” the soldier said, tone serious. “Or Tony’s,” he added. His words were calm, but the authority, the unspoken threat in them was clear.

Wanda hesitated, a little thrown by the sudden intensity, but nodded. “I understand,” she said. “I won’t let you down.”

Steve gave her a small smile. “Good. I’ll let you get settled,” he continued, standing up. He headed to the door.

“Steve?” Wanda called after him.

The blond turned to look. “Yeah?”

“Tell him I said ‘thank you.’”

“You should tell him yourself,” Steve replied. “But I will.”

Tony was in his workshop, typing away on the main console when Steve walked in. From his posture, he could tell the brunet was tired (when wasn’t he?) but focused. Steve knew that focus was long living, had taken hold a day ago and showed no signs of stopping soon. Luckily, the blond convinced him to take breaks, to take care of himself. He still wasn’t 100% after the mission, and his health was still a priority, at least in the blond’s eyes.

Tony’s gaze turned to his partner immediately when he heard Steve approach, though his deft fingers never stopped typing. “So?” he asked, anticipation in his tone. “What’d—did she—did she like it?”

Steve crossed the room, gently rested his hands on Tony’s shoulders. “She liked it,” he replied. He thought he could feel the tension leave Tony’s shoulders beneath his fingertips. Steve smiled a little.

“Good,” the brunet replied, a little breathlessly. “Who knows what she would’ve done to me if she hated it. I keep waiting to wake up and find out she burned my closet.”

“Come on, that’s a little dramatic,” Steve said. He rolled his eyes, and started massaging Tony’s shoulders.

“Have you _seen_ the way she looks at me? I think I have a right to be a little scared.”

“Well, I wouldn’t worry about any of that anymore. I think she’s coming around.”

Tony wasn’t convinced. He hummed in protest, finished typing a line of coding, and swiveled around in his chair. “You wouldn’t let her hurt me, right?” he joked, but Steve got the sense it wasn’t entirely a joke.

The blond brushed a hand back through Tony’s hair, let it settle on the back of his neck. “Never,” he replied. “If you behave, she’ll behave, I’m sure of it.”

“Hm,” Tony replied. He frowned a little, leaned forward and buried his face in Steve’s midsection, linked his arms around Steve.

“It’ll be fine,” Steve replied, rubbing the scientist’s back comfortingly. “And, thank you, by the way.”

“For what?” Tony asked, voice muffled.

“For agreeing with me. For doing all of this. You didn’t have to go that hard when shopping for the room.”

“I…I wanted to,” Tony replied with a shrug. He pulled back, looked up at Steve. The warmth in his blue eyes made Tony’s heart flutter. “As much as she makes me uncomfortable, she deserves it, after everything she’s been though.”

Steve smiled, leaned down and captured Tony’s lips in a kiss. It was slow, and sweet, and Tony’s hands came up around Steve’s shoulders, while the blond’s settled on his waist. Steve pulled Tony up out of his chair, pressed their bodies flush together. “I love you,” he muttered against the brunet’s lips.

“Even after it all?” Tony asked, looking up at him. He was reminded once more of the overwhelming guilt, of the strain the creation of Ultron was putting on all of them, and needed that reassurance right now. He didn’t think he deserved it really, after how it all turned out.

Steve couldn’t stay mad at him though, especially since they all came out of it more or less okay, so he didn’t hesitate to provide that reassurance.

“Even after it all,” Steve agreed, tone soft. He knew things wouldn’t be easy from now on, and maybe they would disagree a little more than usual, but he was confident they could handle it. “You may be trouble, but you’re my trouble,” he said, and pressed their foreheads together.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading~! Leave your thoughts in a comment! Unless you're here to argue lmfao then probably don't. Hope you like it! Something more fun is on the horizon 👀


End file.
